“Musta been a whole acre of ’em…

and much funnier speeches than they had last year.” ¹ Graduation is upon us and social distancing seems to have disappeared. While the graduation ceremony itself was open only to students (no family, no spectators), the after ceremony picture-taking and milling about looked like 2019 or earlier. You can see a few people in masks in the background of this photo. The crowd had just thinned – I took the picture while stopped in traffic so I didn’t have a lot of time to wait for the right moment.

The Tayles, a local band of my youth, wrote a song called “Master of the Arts” looking into the future of a friend with an advanced degree (“We all say that we knew him when…”). I wanted to play that for you but cannot find the cassette it was on – I may have thrown it and others out when I had no way to play or digitize them. (It’s available on Amazon Music for those who subscribe.) That’s a long way of saying that I am now the parent of a Master, one of the graduates honored this weekend, though in an online ceremony with the department only.

But since I’m talking about The Tayles, here they are at The Nitty Gritty in 1972, from the album “whoaretheseguys?” For some reason, this is on YouTube, while “Master of the Arts” is not.

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For years I drank from this bubbler. With the pandemic, it was bagged and only available as a bottle filler. Today, as I was filling my mug, I saw that the bag had come off. Another sign of improvement, of a new normal?

Olio

Per the photo above, my proclamation of the Death of the Bubbler appears to have been premature.

I got to hug my son and daughter in law Sunday for the first time since Christmas 2019, or maybe birthday the next month. I wasn’t keeping track of it then, not knowing it would be the last time for over a year.

When people asked if I ran, I used to answer, “Only if I’m late for the bus” or “Only to chase a soccer ball.” Living with a dog who likes to walk, trot, canter, and gallop, I now find myself running so he can run.

Rhubarb season is back. Since we’ve been watching “The Great British Bake-off” I was inspired to make my first lattice-top pie in years.

Not a perfect lattice, but that won’t affect the eating. The dark rim is the drip tray under the pie.

Lloyd Price

We lost a musical giant last week. Lloyd Price died May 3 (I have seen 3 different dates published, but this date is quoting his wife, who ought to know), at the age of 88. He had his first hit in 1952 with “Lawdy Miss Clawdy”. He went on to start a record company, develop housing, and help to promote the “Rumble in the Jungle”, the heavyweight boxing championship match in Zaire between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.

It was my introduction to New Orleans-style piano, featuring the great Fats Domino.

While many have recorded Stagger Lee in various forms, this is the version I grew up with. My older brothers may have tormented me (see below), but they had good taste in music.

Giro d’Italia

The Giro d’Italia is underway, back to its traditional spring running as the first of the Grand Tours. Like the better-known (in the US) Tour de France, the Giro has various colors of jerseys for leaders in different classifications. The last place rider in the Tour is known as the Lanterne Rouge (red light – like the light at the back of a train). The Giro’s last place rider formerly won the black jersey (Maglia Nera), which was discontinued due to the fierce competition for the jersey. Once again, we honor Luigi Malabrocca and Sante Carollo as honorary members of the half-fast cycling club.

¹ Martin Vanderhof (character), speaking of a college graduation in “You Can’t Take it With You”, by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. This is the role that made me realize I was an old man at age 16.

Stop that train!

The Death Ride (billed as Death Ride Resurgence this year for the 40th anniversary) has been canceled. They said “postponed”, but for an annual event to be postponed for a year sounds a lot like canceled to me. So I don’t need to train for it, I can just ride. I am scheduled to ride a century in September, but that’s now a long way off and it is not at high elevation. If anyone needs a room in a mountain inn in July, let me know.

My workplace is incredibly supportive in this time of stress. In the lobby today, I saw these words of inspiration:

While we’re being inspired, and have no place to go, how about some more entertainment? Cab Calloway defines cool. The Nicholas Brothers have moves that would hurt just to watch, if they didn’t make them look so easy. If you’ve never seen this, you must. If you have, it’s time to see it again.

I love watching the tenor player

The Fleischer Brothers taught the world a lot about animation. Their animated Calloway is almost as smooth as the real thing.

Calloway’s moves might remind you of someone 50 years later.

Louis Jordan may also remind you of stuff you saw decades later that you thought was ground-breaking at the time.

So that’s it for today. No words of wisdom, no tales of epic rides, just some artists from the past that you oughta know about if you don’t and you need to revisit if you do.